Car-coupling



J- MURPHY.

GGGGGGGGGG G. I 9 No. 497,593. r Patented May 16,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MURPHY, OF CRESTON, IOWA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 497,593, dated May 16,1893.

Application filed September 17, 1892. Serial No. 446,160. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN MURPHY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gr'eston, in the county of Union and State'of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Gar-Couplings, assetforth in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,in which Figure 1, represents a perspective view of one of my couplings.Fig. 2, is a vertical sectional view of the same on the line w-:x; ofFig. 1 with the coupling pin raised. Fig. 3, is a horizontal sectionalview showing a second jaw coupled in position. Fig. 4, is a perspectiveview of the coupling pin. Fig. 5, is adetail of the movable jaw.

Myinvention relates to that classof car coupling known as twin-jawcouplings, andconsists of the constructions and combinations of deviceswhich I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains tomake and use the same, I will now describe its construction and indicatethe manner in which the same is carried out.

In the said drawings, A represents one of the jaws of a twin-jawcoupling, the said jaw being located at the outer end of a draw barwhich is secured in position in the manner common to this class ofcouplings. The front end of this head is recessed at a to form the fixedjaw and to receive and permit the coupling thereto of a jaw carried byanother drawhead, and each fixed jaw carries at one of its sides amovable jaw B, hinged or pivoted uponabolt e, to an arm b of the fixedjaw,'at one side, so that it may swing outward to effect the uncouplingof the jaws of opposing cars, the said movable jaw of one coupling beingadapted to enter the recess aof the opposite fixed jaw whereby thecurved or hooked ends of the movable jaws engage each other in the wellknown manner. The movable jaw B is formed with upper and-lower walls orflanges cl (1' and inner Vertical side wall g, the outer side of thisjaw being open to receive the arm I) of the fixed jaw and to allow themovable jaw to turn upon its hinge 5o bolt or pivot.

The body of the fixed jaw is recessed at h to receive the pin 0, whoseform approxiv latter is closed, andalso is securely braced and preventedfrom having lateral twisting motion, by being confined between the twostraight vertical walls of the movable jaw and recess h. The pin'O hasits rear' or inner side curved, and said pin has also a reduced upperend or stem also curved up-. wardly and forwardly and adapted to passloosely through an opening Z in the top of the fixed jaw. The upper endof the pin 0 extends above the top of the jawA and has se cured to it,by anysuitable means, a lever arm D, the forward end of which is adaptedto fulcrum against the upper surface of the jaw A, while the oppositeend projects some distance rearwardly and has sufficient weight to causethe pin to'fall by gravity when the pin raising devices hereinafternamed are released. The rearwardly extending arm of the lever D isadapted to be seated upon a step or shoulder m at or near the base ofthe jaw A, and this arm is engaged and actuated by the crank arm n of arock shaft E, suitably journaled in guides F on the front of the carbody, and adapted to be operated from the side or top of a car in themanner common to this class of coupling; the said crank shaft having alug G projecting from it, adapted to engage one of the guides F to holdthe pin raising devices elevated when desired. From this description itwill be seen that the movable jaw of one or both of the opposingcouplings being open, it will enter the recess a of the other jaw, andits curved front end will strike the inner vertical wall 9 and force themovable jaw back to its seat. During this movement the inner end of thevertical wall 9 of the movable jaw will strike the rounded front end ofthe pin 0, and cause the pin to be forced back into its recess to enablethe inner or free end of the movable jaw to pass said end of the pin.Having passed the plane of the sidewall of the pin, the weight of thelever arm D of the pin causes the latter to fall so that its front endwill be projected forwardlyinto the front of the recess h and beconfined by the vertical inner side wall of the movable jaw and one ofthe side walls of the recess as before described.

To release the couplings, the rock shaft on one coupling is rocked inits bearings so that its crank arm lifts the rearwardly extending arm ofthe pin thereby causing the front end of said pin to fulcrum against thetop of the fixed jaw and form the pivot about which the pin turns sothat it may be moved rearwardly into its recess to free its front endfrom contact with the movable jaw, when the opposite pull of the carswill cause the released jaw to swing inward thereby releasing theopposing jaw and permitting the uncoupling and separation of the cars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car coupling, the fixed jaw having the horizontally swinging jawand recess a, said fixed jaw having also a recess for the pin openingthrough its front, in combination with said pin loosely mounted withinits recess in the fixed jaw and having its front portion adapted to beextended into the space between the iuner wall of the movable jaw andthe front portion of one of the walls of its recess, said pin extendingthrough the top of the coupling head so that it may be operated,substantially as herein described.

2. In a car coupling, the fixed jaw, and the horizontally swinging jaw,in combination with the pin 0 mounted loosely within a recess in thefixed jaw and having a front end adapted to be projected into the spacebetween the inner wall of the movable jaw and the front portion of oneof the walls of its recess, whereby the movable jaw is held againstmovement, said pin having a neck projecting through an opening in thetop of the head, and provided with a weighted lever arm for operatingthe pin by gravity to cause its front extension to pass between theinner side wall of the movable jaw and one of the walls of the pinrecess, whereby the said jaw is secured and the pin securely braced,substantially as herein described.

3. In a car coupling the combination with the fixed jaw, and the movablejaw, of the pin 0 mountedloosely within the fixedjaw having a projectingfront end adapted to secure the movable jaw, and a curved rear end, saidpin having also a curved stem or neckprojecting through an opening inthe top of the fixed jaw, a lever arm on said stem or neck having itsfront end adapted to fulcrumupon the head, said lever arm extendingrearwardly, and a crank shaft and connections for lifting the arm andretracting the front of the pin to release the movable jaw,substantially as herein described.

JOHN MURPHY.

Witnesses:

J NO. MCCORMACK, PAUL U. H. LENZ.

